UK Disability Legislation

What is disability aid like in the UK?

British citizens benefit specifically from the Disability Discrimination Act of 1995 (DDA 1995), which provides ample legal aid for people in the UK with disabilities. Whether it comes in the form of accessible parking and public transport, employment rights, consumer representation and aid in preventing discrimination against students with disabilities in the UK.

A fascinating aspect of British Disability Law is that the UK Disability Discrimination Act actually casts a wide net when defining the imposition of taxes upon those who violate the discrimination clauses. How does it do this? Continue reading this informative source of information on disability aid in the UK to find out more.

In 1995, the DDA was passed in order to guarantee handicapped British citizens certain fundamental protections against various forms of discrimination. Its sweeping reforms including bans on discriminating against the disabled in employment, education, property sales/management/rental and access to a wide range of public facilities, goods and services.

But one of the most important aspects of the Disability Discrimination Act of 1995 was that it wasn’t written in stone. As a living document it was designed to evolve, and incorporate added rights and assurances for those who suffer from disabilities throughout the United Kingdom.

With this in mind, it is easier to understand how, shortly after the passage of the act, various aspects of the DDA was also implemented as a requirement for employers in the United Kingdom. This was in 1996. In the same year, the law was amended such that it became a civil crime to “treat disabled people less favourably” in the context of an organization or a business.

A few years later, in 1999, the DDA stretched its arms out to encompass the field of physical accessibility for the disabled in England. Within reason, businesses and organizations are now required to adjust their way of providing services, so that disabled people can take advantage of whatever goods or services are being offered.

Most recently, in 2004, the actual physical composition of the premises—the infrastructure itself—is now required to be adjusted such that it be made more accessible for the UK disabled population.

In the field of education, the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act (SENDA) required important adjustments be made to the fourth part of the DDA, such that schools at all levels be criminalized for discriminating against those in attendance with special education needs. Part of this vague “non-discrimination” terminology was clarified in 2003 when schools became required to provide real physical aids pertinent to the needs of the disabled individuals.

The latest development in the UK Disability Discrimination Act imposes a duty, called the Education Equality Duty, upon the education providers so that they actively uphold and encourage the equal treatment of disabled persons in attendance.